Interzone 217 from TTA Press

British SF magazine Interzone was described last year by Year's Best editor Gardner Dozois as 'one of the most handsome SF magazines ever published.' No small tribute, but the magazine's appeal is in its fiction.

Following the guest-edited Mundane issue, IZ217 is back in the hands of the regular editorial team led by publisher Andy Cox.

Karen Fishler

In 'Africa' by Karen Fishler, long after the Talienn have exiled humanity to the stars, the last Guardian ship --there to destroy those who would return-- is crewed by Tomeer and his 'father' (Tomeer is a clone). A refugee ship crewed by Ainkia, the first woman Tomeer has ever met, approaches them for help. It's nearly an outstanding story, but when Tomeer learns that Ainkia has lied to him Fishler glosses over the catastrophic loss of trust that follows even a minor betrayal, instead shoehorning in her happy ending, which is a shame.

Another near-miss is Paul G. Tremblay's 'The Two-Headed Girl,' which --despite repeated readings-- never quite gels. Nonetheless, this story of a girl whose second head changes faces with dizzying rapidity when she's distressed, and her absent father has some fine passages, and individual elements such the child's swing --used to generate electricity-- are a delight.

Jason Sanford

'The Ships Like Clouds, Risen by Their Rains' marks Jason Sanford's debut in Interzone. On a planet where the soil and other organic material falls from ships sailing across the skies and the locals have to keep building their houses on previous dwellings to avoid being buried, Tem is a weather-watcher, there to warn the town of impending storms that can drown the inhabitants in flash floods. While the reader knows there's more, what follows when Tem breaks the taboo on excavating is so unexpected, the implications so dizzying that it induces vertigo. One of the best stories of the year.

Suzanne Palmer's 'Concession Girl' marks a complete change of tone, and is unusual in that it's much lighter-hearted than many IZ stories. The eponymous Verah scrapes a living selling junk food on a space station that is hosting peace talks between two warring races. When one of the delegates buys a dozen hot dogs and fries for his party, it sets off a chain reaction that changes Verah's life. A wonderful story.

Paul McAuley

Paul McAuley returns after an eight year absence with 'Little Lost Robot,' an inversion of the sort of stories that comprise series such Fred Saberhagen's Berserkers; in this case the narrative is from the viewpoint of the giant robot and its sub-routines. When one of them is destroyed, it leads to another sub-routine questioning the robot's purpose. Short, but effective. McAuley's return is cause for celebration.

In M. K. Hobson's 'Comus of Central Park,' a down-trodden single mother on a bizarre scavenger hunt happens upon a faun; Pamela's find is no Tumnus from Narnia -- he has attitude, and when he agrees to accompany Pamela to her friend Magdalena's party things don't turn out as she envisaged. Hobson has an eye for telling detail, and a sharp tongue to go with it, and 'Comus' is a wickedly funny end to the fiction.

The magazine rounds of as usual with Tony Lee savaging DVD releases, Nick Lowe's film round-up, and a selection of book reviews from Paul Kincaid and others. Despite opening with the weaker stories, this is the best issue for some time.

Cover for Interzone 217

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